ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND EFFECTIVE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is one of the trending tool that have profound impact on the effectiveness of school management in Nigerian education sector. This study is a descriptive survey research design that examined the application of Artificial Intelligence in the management of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This study was carried out in six selected universities in the six geographical zones of Nigeria. Two research objectives, two research questions and a single hypothesis were respectively formulated to guide this study. A four-point rating scale titled “Artificial Intelligence and School Management in Nigeria” (AISMN) was structured for the collection of necessary data required for this study. The questionnaire was validated by expert judgement of three academic authorities; each from the department of computer science, educational administration and educational measurement and evaluation respectively. The reliability index was 0.84 using the Person Product Correlation coefficient formula (r). The study adopted the mean and standard deviation in answering the research questions while the single hypothesis was tested by the z-test statistical tool at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that the adoption of AI in school management will result to effective curriculum development, improved management efficiency, data-driven decision making, resource optimization, enhanced faculty productivity, enhanced security and safety, streamlined communication and optimized administrative processes in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study therefore came to the conclusion that is very important to begin to use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Nigerian tertiary institution since it has the potential to make school management processes efficient. The study recommended that the leadership of the tertiary institutions should prioritise the application of artificial intelligence in their operation through strategic planning, infrastructure development, and capacity building to ensure effective AI adoption and mitigate its negative consequences and also that the government should sufficiently fund the adoption and application of artificial intelligence in formal education activities in Nigeria and also ensure continuous training of staff so as to maximize the benefits therefrom.